The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14th, 1925. THE THIRD PARTY.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 February 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14th, 1925. THE THIRD PARTY.

I HM third party in politics lias become the thorn in political developments the over. Thu third party obtruded, it "ill he remem he red. in the presidential election in the I'nited States. A very strong effort was made to hnild up a radical membership wili, well defined purposes, hut the result allayed apprehensions on that score. A New York financial magazine icferring to the development offered some remarks in revietv which are not inapplicable to other countries where the third party has come to the tore, and on that account the general trend of the discussion on the subject might he reproduced here for general information. The paper remarked that it was a common plea of the radical leaders that the two old parties were just alike, and that the new organisation afforded the only real opportunity to have a change, hut the election showed quite plainly that what they offered was altogothe too much of a change to he acceptable to the great hodv of the American people. The two-party system affords the people an alternative choice of administrative organisations, and the opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with the party that has been in power; moreover the two parties become known for policies and tendencies which are sufficiently distinctive to represent the differences which naturally exist among people who yet are in accord as to the fundamental principles upon which society is based and by which its progress in the past has been achieved. In other words. There arc differences, hut they do not invol. ■ the foundations of the present social structure and therefore it is fortunately possible to have a change oi litical administration without having revolution. The leaders of the recent third party movement were full of confidence as to what they were going to accomplish and there was much to indicate at the outset that the movement might gather large popular itrength. The period of post-war read- 1 ustments had brought losses and hardships to many people causing wide--preact iclisc.ontent. Organised labor nude its first systematic effort to be , i decisive factor in a national election, j L’he Socialist party which had been ■ontent in the past to put up can- . lidates of its own and make campaigns n behalf of its own peculiar docrines in this instance agreed to join ts strength to the general movement gainst the existing order. The eomined movement had for a leader an ex- j erienccd political warrior and advocate f considerable personal following. The . peeches and literature of the movelent were of the most extravagant and indent character and in view of the rent ciit-pcouring of representations f a similar kind in the past there j tevitnbly was some uncertainty as to P ue amount of influence they would ” ury. The wage-earners and farmers. > whom these appeals were especially irected. together comprise a large mairitv of the voters; how would they “ iti'mate them? A review of the earn- _ lign shows that the movement prolific- was biggest at its beginning, and st ground steadily as the campaign «* rogressed. which is what might he ex- f? ictecl from its character. It could it stand discussion and publicity. The were exposed or fell pieces of their own weakness under lamination. Many of them were no epofiterons that common sense did it hesitate to reject them and their ithor were discredited. The ridicuus charge that the price of wheat is being advanced to fool the farmers 1 identic was off the same piece with H e charge that Wall Street and the andard Oil Company controlled the fo siqess of the country. The outcome Cl

is immensely reassuring, because there is reason to believe that it will be the same whenever the same questions are brought to issue. The leader and some of his associates talk about fighting on. and nobody expects them to do otherwise. They cannot change from what they are. They are built that way, their ideas are fixed, and they will go on repeating themselves about as they have in the past, but they are not likely to have conditions more favourable to their propaganda than they have been in the last tliree years.